Karma is a superstitious belief that
attracts people because of its mystical and mysterious air.
It is an offence to human reason, conscience and creation in
a great many ways.

Belief in karma is an important element in superstitious eastern
religions such as decadent Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Karma
is a Sanskrit word meaning "action" or "movement". In Indian religions,
karma is conceived of as "the law of cause and effect". According
to those who believe in karma, in the future people will experience
the consequences of whatever they have done in the past. Good
comes from good, and evil from evil. It therefore follows that
the situation they are in today is the result of the past.

No matter how much the philosophy of karma appears to encourage
people towards ethical behaviour, it is in fundamental conflict
with belief in the hereafter and a great many matters of
faith described in the Qur'an.

According to this belief, however, what is meant
by "the past" is the life that a person lived before their current
life; what is meant by "the future" is their next life back on
this Earth that will begin (or so it is claimed), after death.
The reason for this is that the belief in karma is based on a
belief in reincarnation-the belief that after death, people return
to the world in a different body, and that this process of death
and rebirth is continuous. It therefore follows that someone who
believes in karma believes that in the so-called life they will
have after death, whatever successes they have, whatever position
in society they occupy and whatever way of life they enjoy will
have been determined by how they behaved in their previous life
and on their degree of morality in that life.

For example, someone who is rich and successful
in this life is being rewarded with wealth for having been a good
person in their previous life. In the same way (according to the
concept of karma), someone who is poor, crippled or a failure
in this life will have done bad things in their previous life
and is now reaping the reward for those actions. In fact, it is
claimed by those who subscribe to this superstitious belief system
that people may take the form of plants or animals in their successive
lives, depending on the nature of the evil they have done. Later
in this book we will demonstrate in detail that belief in reincarnation
is mere superstition.

According to the belief in karma, someone who is rich
and famous has become so in return for the good deeds
he performed in a previous life. Many people who believe
in karma, however, also think that there is no Creator
who might bring this justice about. The proponents of
this philosophy believe that karma is a self-maintaining
system.

At first sight it might appear that a belief in
karma would provide a strong incentive for people to adopt attractive
moral qualities, since they will want to enjoy the best possible
conditions when they are reborn into this world. However, the
belief in reincarnation and other superstitious concepts fostered
by religions which espouse karma (such as Hinduism and decadent
Buddhism), are contrary to human logic, human nature and the human
conscience. Thus, the laws and practices of these religions cannot
possibly endow people with good moral qualities; they cannot bring
individuals peace of mind, inner confidence or happiness. The
poor living conditions and the injustice prevalent in those countries
where these religions are common or where they have, in fact,
been adopted as the national religion, quite clearly demonstrate
the truth of this.

One of the main reasons why some of the teachings
of Hinduism and Buddhism attract attention is the interest shown
in them by certain world-famous film stars and musicians. Some
of these famous people have their photographs taken wearing Buddhist
robes in Tibet, or they claim to have found peace of mind in meditation.
Another thing that makes people interested in these religions
is the aura of mystery and mysticism with which they are associated
in the mind of the public.

This is a communication to be transmitted to mankind so that
they may be warned by it and so that they will know that He
is One God and so that people of intelligence
will pay heed.
(Surah Ibrahim: 52)

But the great majority of people who are influenced
by this mystical aura and who make a belief in karma the foundation
for their way of life do not carry out any detailed investigation
into these philosophies and do not think about them carefully
enough. This is because they are too focused on the positive spiritual
and moral aspects to see that these religions in their decadent
conditions contain many beliefs that are inconsistent, illogical,
and contrary to human nature and conscience, or perhaps they simply
prefer to ignore these anomalies altogether.

However, anyone who wishes to escape from the difficult
and depressing life they are leading and who sincerely wants all
humanity to be able to live a life full of happiness and inner
tranquility ought to make an effort to find the right way. Therefore,
they should carefully investigate the philosophies by which they
are influenced and should be inwardly certain which path is the
most correct, the wisest and the one that best accords with their
conscience.

The purpose of this book is to show people whose quest for the
truth has led them to adopt the positive messages of the karma
philosophy, that it is not the best path since it is derived from
a religion based on myths, superstitions and practices that defy
reason. The only way for people to live happily and enjoy peace
of mind in this life and in their eternal life after death is
for them to have faith in Allah and to act in accordance with
the dictates of the Qur'an. The Qur'an is the book of truth revealed
by our Lord, Allah, for the sake of thinking people; it is our
only guide to salvation, bringing people from darkness into light.
The only true way is to put into practice the ethics of the Qur'an
and to fear Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, Who
keeps people from wickedness, discord, cruelty, oppression, intolerance,
despair, pessimism, unhappiness and every kind of reprehensible
act, and to live in accord with the Sunnah of His Noble Messenger,
Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.